The present invention relates to water-in-oil-in-water edible emulsions comprising an internal aqueous phase, said internal aqueous phase comprising live micro-organisms in sufficient quantity to impart specific nutritional properties to said edible emulsion.
The invention relates to a water-in-oil-in-water edible emulsion comprising:                an internal aqueous phase comprising live micro-organisms;        a protective lipid phase for the micro-organisms, said internal aqueous phase and said lipid phase forming a primary water-in-oil emulsion;        an external conservation aqueous phase in which the primary emulsion is dispersed.        
The processing of water-in-oil-in-water edible emulsions using live micro-organisms in the internal aqueous phase of an edible water-in-oil-in-water emulsion is known already. The only known embodiments are concerned with dairy products or derivatives therefrom, forming a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion in which the internal aqueous phase comprises active bacterial bodies, the external aqueous phase being formed by a dairy product, whether fermented or not.
In addition to that, available information on active bacterial bodies or live micro-organisms used in the above mentioned dairy edible emulsion all refer to the use of the bifidus-type bacteria which, because of its properties and large availability, is a live organism which is widely used in the agro-food industry.
The basic principle for the implementation of such live micro-organisms-containing water-in-oil-in-water emulsions is that they should benefit from the presence of these live micro-organisms which impart specific properties and a specific organoleptic quality to the emulsion, whereas live micro-organisms would be destroyed when put into contact with the components of the external aqueous phase (organic acids) which give its organoleptic qualities to the emulsion (or to the dressing itself). This sets the problem of keeping micro-organisms alive in such emulsions or dressings.
Therefore, one technique which is frequently used consists in identifying and selecting bifidus-type bacteria which are particularly resistant, according to the medium or to the external phase in which the bacteria is to be preserved. Such techniques are not widely applied and can be extremely limitative, with their cost and implementation time being often incompatible with industrial requirements; the use of such techniques is therefore rather limited.
The modification of the very state of micro-organisms has also been contemplated, i.e. of the bifidus bacteria, and a modification of its state so as to get it in dried or frozen state after addition of a stabiliser has been envisaged. Other processes consisted in trying to obtain the bifidus bacteria in a powder form so as to increase its strength in an acid environment. Trials have also been carried out aiming at deep-freezing the bifidus bacteria or at getting it in a granular state, still with an aim to increasing its specific strength in an acid environment.
None of these techniques can be implemented in any given situations or with all types of live micro-organisms, nor can they be applied in water-in-oil-in-water edible emulsions other than those based on dairy products.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to offer a novel water-in-oil-in-water edible emulsion which would overcome the drawbacks mentioned above and which would be capable of comprising a sufficient level of live micro-organisms so as to provide the emulsion with specific nutritional properties and taste, said water-in-oil-in-water emulsion being sufficiently acid to be used as a side sauce.
Another object of the present invention is to offer a novel water-in-oil-in-water edible emulsion which can, at the level of its internal aqueous phase, favour a good conservation of live micro-organisms.
Another object of the present invention is to offer a novel water-in-oil-in-water edible emulsion which is not restricted by the use of a particular type or form of live micro-organisms.
Yet another object of the present invention is to offer a novel water-in-oil-in-water edible emulsion which is particularly simple to implement, thanks to the use of traditional ingredients, notably as carriers for live micro-organisms.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to offer a dressing or a side sauce, notably a salad sauce, comprising live micro-organisms, having particularly beneficial organoleptic and nutritional properties.